Gas meter bellows



s E M E H C. E.

GAS METER BELLOWS IN VEN TOR.

A ORNEYS E17 WARD HEM@ Filed fSe Patented Mar. 30, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to bellows for fluid metering devices, such as gas meters.

'I'he general purpose and object of my invention is to provide a bellows construction of a character eliminating soldering in the bellows assembly and enabling the latter as a complete unit to be soldered to the supporting partition wall in the meter case by the external applica- .f tion of solder and at points suiciently remote from the flexible diaphragm to prevent burning or scorching of the diaphragm by the conduction of heat through the header of the bellows secured to said partition wall. In addition to the last named advantage, the invention has the equally important advantage of reducing the lineal amount of solder required as compared to the bellows constructions heretofore employed.

In carrying out the objects of my invention,

I provide the relatively movable headers for the diaphragm in the form of one-piece members which may be V stamped or otherwise formed from the desired sheet material, whereby the body and marginal walls of the headers are integrally formed and require no soldering for their connection, thus affording no opportunity for burning or scorching the diaphragm when assembling the bellows.

A further object of my invention is to provide one of the headers, namely, the` header which is secured to the partition wall, with a lip construction for the gas duct or throat-piece employed to connect the interior of the bellows with the valve seat of the metering device. This lip construction permits the throat-piece to be 5 soldered to the header externally of the bellows and at points sufficiently remote from the header to prevent damage to the diaphragm by the heat conducted through the header.

My invention consists further in the matters 40 hereinafter described and claimed.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section view taken on 5 line 4--4 of Fig. 3 with parts in elevation to show the end formation of the lip construction; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view indicating the l manner in which the bellows and the throatpiece are soldered externally to the partition.

wall of the meter case.

In the drawing, I indicates the meter case and 2 an upright partition wall in said case. This partition wall, as in structures of this character, divides the meter case into the required two bellows chambers or compartments and provides a support for the bellows units which are mounted on the opposite sides of said partition wall as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The bellows unit of my invention comprises a pair of relatively `movable circular headers `3, 4 secured to the opposite marginal portions of an interposed flexible diaphragm 5. This diaphragm, as in devices of this character, is preferably in the form of an annulus of iexible tanned leather, or other desired flexible material. The diaphragm 5 is secured to the headers 3, 4 in the usual manner as by multiple wrappings of string or other suitable cord-like material 6. These wrappings fasten the marginal portions of the diaphragm to the annular ilanges l, 8 of the respective headers, preferably between the beads 9, 9 thereon, as shown in Fig.,2.

The headers 3, 4, in accordance with my invention, are of cup-like form, being stamped or otherwise formed from single pie-ces of sheet metal or other desired sheet material. This provides the headers with-the annular flanges l,v 8 heretofore mentioned, and solid, circular body walls I, Il integrally connected with the associated flanges and in substantially normal or right angular relation thereto, as shown. The body walls I0, Il are solid and continuous throughout and provide with the anges 1, 8 imperforate header-closures for the bellows, except for the opening provided in the flange of one of the headers for the passage of gasinto and. Vout of the bellows in its expanding and collapsing operation. The anges 1, 8 project laterally from one side of the respective wall sections ID, Il and extend into the diaphragm 5 for connectionY therewith, as shown. The connections are made gas tight by the wrappings 6 and shellac or other sealing medium as usual in these constructions.

'Ihe flange 8 of the header 4 is provided at one point in its circumference with an opening for the duct or throat-piece I2 used with the bellows to connect the interior ofthe bellows with the valve seat (not shown) in the up-i.

per compartment of the meter case. This opening is formed by a lip construction which may comprise a pair of lips I3, I4 integrally connected with the header 4 at the flange 8 and extending radially outwardly from said flange, as

shown in Fig. 3. The lips are spaced apart axially of the flange and provide the opening for the lower end of the throat-piece I2` as shown. The inner lip I3 overlaps the body wall I5 of the throat-piece and is soldered thereto, as at I6, along the upper edge of the lip `I3 when the 'parts are assembled on the partition Wall 2.

The outermost lip I4 is preferably coplanar with the body wall I I of the header 4 and bridges l5 thethroat-piece I2 on its open side when thev parts are in assembled position.- The throatpiece or duct I2 is channel-shape and is applied with its open side against the partition wall 2 to be Vclosed thereby. The lower ends of theside walls of the throat-piece I2 are notched or cut-away (see Fig. 3) to accommodate the lip I4 and thus the edges of the side walls may engage the partition wall 2 and be soldered thereto to provide leak-proof joints,` between the throat-piece and the partition wall as required.

The lip construction may be formed by slitting therilange 8 of the header 4 and then bending the lips into outwardly extending relation to the flange, or the entire lip formation may be formed by drawing the metal of the flange into a protuberance or neck of the shapeand size desired completely surrounding the Vlower end of the throat-piece, as indicated inFig. 4. With this construction, the ends of the protuberance provide filletsy I8 tting against the side walls I'I of the throat-piece I2 and soldered thereto, as at I9 as shown in Fig. 4.

When assembling the parts in the meter case, y the bellows, in its completed form comprising the 40 connected diaphragm and headers-3, 4, and 5, is first placed against the partition wall 2 with the imperforate body wall II of the header 4 against Vsaid partition wall. The bellows is arranged to have its lip construction uppermost to accommodate the throat-piece I2 when applied, Vwhereupon the header 4 is externally solderedl to the partition wall at a plurality of spaced points about the header 4, as indicated at a, a in Fig. 5. The lip I4 which lies against the partition wall is alsosoldered thereto, as indicated at I6 in Figs. 3 and 5. These solder connections are suicient to secure the bellows in the meter case VVand being spotted about the header 4 reduces the lineal amount of solder required for the mounting as compared with the constructions heretofore employed, wherein the solder connection is a continuous ring about the flange Which mounts the bellows on the Vpartition wall.l Moreover, the soldering in accordance with my invention is applied externally of the bellows and at points Y sufficiently remote from the ilexible diaphragm 5to prevent burning or scorching of the diaphragm by heat conducted through the header 4.

AFollowingthe soldering of the bellows to the partitionwall 2, the throat-piece or duct I2 is next applied. The lower end of thispiece is inserted in opening'provided Vby the lip construction I3,v I4 and then set against the partition wall 2, whereupon the' throat-piece is soldered to the lip I3 at I6 and to the lletsl at I9 and to the partition wall 2 along the contacting edges of the walls II at b, b in Figs. 4 and 5. All of the soldering is applied externally of the `bellows, and at points sulciently remote from the 75 diaphragm 5 to prevent burning or scorching installing costs.

thereof by the heat conducted through the header 4.

With the headers 3, 4 in stamped or integral form no soldering is requiredy to secure them in assembled relation with the diaphragm as heretofore and thus no opportunity is afforded for burning or scorching the diaphragm or impairing its gas tight connection with the headers. All soldering required is applied externally or exteriorly of the bellows I and being confined to the header 4 and the throat-piece or duct I2 lessens the amount of solder employed and reduces the Moreover, the bellows unit is considerably simplified and may be installed and repaired 'with more ease and at less expense than the constructions heretofore employed.

VIn the assembled construction, the header k3 constitutes the movable header of the bellows. This header is suitably connected with the parts of the valve operating mechanism located in the chamber containing the bellows. '.This mechanism, as indicated in Fig. 1, includes a vertical rock shaft 20 provided with a ilag bracket 2| which, by flag carriage 22, pivotally connects the header 3 at its wall section I0 to the bracket 2|.f

The latter is xed to the shaft 20 to turn with the same asv the bellows expands and collapses in the operation of the meter.

The opening alforded by the lip construction also enables the lubricant used to dress the dia-` phragm to bel entered into the bellows unit to treat the inner surface of the diaphragm. The

outer surface of the diaphragm may also be treated with-this lubricant.

The details of construction and arrangement oi parts shown and described may be variously changed and modified without departing from Vthe spirit Yor scopefof my inventiomexcept as pointed out in the annexed claims. The invention claimed is:

V1 ,In a gas meter, in combination, apartition v wall, aV three sided gas conveying duct applied to said wallwith the wall closing the open side of the duct, an expansible and contractible' bellowsV unit mounted on said partition wall in association with said duct and having a ,header having a surrounding marginal flange extending outwardly from said wall, and lips struckk outwardly from said flange` to providean opening into the beilows unit for said duct, said duct extending into said openingY and being externally soldered to said 4lips and'y to said partition wall, one of the lips extending across the open side of the duct ,between Vthe duct and the partition .wal1,-said header being externally soldered to saidpartition-.wall i' to said wallI with, the wall closing the open side f of the ductfanv expansible and contractible bellows unit Vmounted on said partition wall in association with said duct, said unit having inner and .outer one piece headers, leach having an imperforate body wall providing a closure ,for the Y header and a surrounding marginal flange extending inwardly from the body wall, a flexible ring shaped diaphragm disposed between the.

headers and secured to the anges thereof, and lips struck outwardly from the flange of: the in- Said duct extending into said opening and beingr externally soldered to said lips and to said partition Wall, one of the lips extending across the open side of the duct between the duct and the parti- 5 tion Wall, said inner header being externally soldered to the partition `wall along said last named lip and at one or more spaced points about the outer periphery of the inner header adjacent the junction of its body Wall and marginal iiange to mount the bellows unit on the partition wall.

EDWARD C. HEMES. 

